Uber Chopper: Uber teams up with Volvo and Corporate Helicopters

Uber Taxi Company has teamed up with Volvo and Corporate Helicopters to revolutionize the taxi industry with Uber self-driving cars and UberChoppers respectively.

Uber Technologies Inc. is an American multinational online Taxi transportation network company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It develops, markets and operates the Uber mobile "app", which allows consumers with smartphones to submit a trip request, which the software program then automatically sends to the Uber driver nearest to the consumer, alerting the driver to the location of the customer.

Uber drivers use their own personal cars, meaning Uber doesn't own any car of it's own that is used as Taxi. Uber entered Kenya not so long ago, January 2015 and did hit the market hard because of how Taxi drivers in Kenya charged a lot on trips. Its entry did cause a huge problem due to competition to the extent of Uber driver's cars getting burnt by unknown people suspected to be other taxi rivals but soon settled as Kenyan Taxi drivers had to accept the change. Safaricom the topmost mobile network company in Kenya introduced "Little Cab" app to rival Uber as other apps like "Easy Taxi" were already in the market.

Just recently on the 2nd of August hundreds of Uber drivers in Kenya went on strike after costs were cut, demanding the prices to go back to normal. See picture below from Reuters.

Uber drivers on strike in Kenya

"If they don't do this we have other alternatives. We have so many other platforms where we can go. Because I need to eat. I need to feed my family," said by one of the drivers on strike.

This week Uber Kenya introduced UberChopper services in Nairobi and Mombasa. Talk of competition, I say Uber Kenya is here to stay! The Cab-hailing app partnered with Corporate Helicopters to tease the chopper hailing service.

UberChopper is working with media and entertainment personalities to hype up the chopper service. Six winners from a social media competition will be picked to fly on 4th September. Winners in Nairobi will go on a tour between Nairobi and the Rift Valley alongside Larry Madowo, Huddah Munroe or Eric Omondi while Mombasa winners will explore the expansive coastline alongside Chef Ali M., DJ Lenium or Miss Global Kenya, Tima Keilah.

UberChopper has used the same strategy to launch in several cities from last year including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, Shanghai and Cape Town.

Back to our main topic, Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick has been planning a move to self-driving cars for some time. The firm first revealed plans to replace human drivers two years ago. They teamed up with Volvo and has confirmed that the cab-hailing app Uber will, for the first time, allow users to hail self-driving cars within a fortnight. The launch is set for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Customers will request cars the normal way, via Uber's app, and will be paired with a driverless car at random. Trips will be free for the time being, rather than the standard local rate of $1.30 [£0.98] per mile.

Volvo has already sent a small number of sensor-equipped XC90 sports utility vehicles (SUVs) to Uber, which would be used in the initial trials. The carmaker intends to have delivered 100 such cars to its partner by the end of the year. What I have heard is that the Volvo deal will not be an exclusive one and that Uber plans to work with other carmakers.

This move is going to relax Uber from things like strikes from drivers and other conflicts but how obviously created unemployment. I personally love this move because of the tech involved but is Uber going to keep its drivers? How will this move affect the community and other Countries at large which have embraced Uber? Send in your comments by post them below and also don't forge to like and also share this article and follow us on Twitter.
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